Hurricane Beryl maps show track and landfall forecast

Beryl became the first called hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season on Saturday as it moves toward the southeastern Caribbean, where strong winds and torrential rain are expected.

Forecasters warned that Beryl is expected to strengthen into a dangerous major hurricane before hitting Barbados and the Windward Islands late Sunday or early Monday. Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorology researcher at the University of Miami, told the Associated Press that the warm water is fueling Beryl, with the ocean’s heat content in the deep Atlantic Ocean being the highest ever recorded for this time of the year.

Beryl is the first hurricane in more than fifty years to appear in the Atlantic basin before July 4. Alma hit the Florida Keys on June 8, 1966, according to Weather Underground.

Where is Hurricane Beryl heading?

According to the National Hurricane Center, Beryl was about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) southeast of Barbados on Saturday evening and was moving westward at 22 mph (35 km/h). There were maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.

Beryl’s center was forecast to pass about 26 miles (42 kilometers) south of Barbados, Sabu Best, director of the island’s meteorological service, told AP.

According to CBS News weather producer David Parkinson, Beryl is the easternmost hurricane to form in the month of June. Only one other hurricane has formed this far east in June — and that was in 1933.

The hurricane center said the center of Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands — which include Grenada, Martinique, St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Vincent — late Sunday night or early Monday, bringing “life-threatening winds and storm surge.”

According to the hurricane center, Beryl is expected to become a major hurricane before it reaches the Windward Islands. As of Saturday evening, Beryl was a major hurricane. a category 1which is a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of up to 95 mph. When a hurricane reaches Category 3 status — meaning maximum sustained winds of 111 mph or greater — it is defined as a major hurricane.

Where will Hurricane Beryl cause rain and flooding?

Beryl is forecast to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain on Barbados and the Windward Islands, and cause a storm surge of up to 7 feet.

St. Vincent is expected to receive up to 6 inches of rain. Martinique, Grenada and Dominica are expected to receive 5 to 10 centimeters of rain. Beryl is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to the Windward Islands from Sunday evening.

Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Granada and the Grenadine Islands are all under hurricane warnings. Martinique and Tobago are under a tropical storm warning, while Dominica is under a tropical storm watch.

Parkinson said the hurricane will take at least eight days to impact the U.S. Beryl is expected to remain south of Jamaica.

— David Parkinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.